National 08/18/13 usatoday.com: by Elizabeth Weise – Efforts to care for abandoned cats could mean more humans will be exposed to rabies, researchers at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say. For 30 years, the main domestic animal linked to human exposure to rabies in the United States has been the cat. In the past 10 years, the number of feral cat colonies has exploded as animal-rights groups fight to end the capturing and killing of strays. Those two trends could be on a collision course, says Charles Rupprecht, director of research for the Global Alliance for Rabies Control, who was senior author of the CDC study. Dogs were the primary domestic carrier of rabies until the 1970s, when roundups of strays and vaccination programs eradicated canine rabies. That hasn’t happened with cats. “We didn’t think it was OK to have (stray) dogs, but we think it’s OK to create artificial cat colonies where they’re exposed to wildlife that can transmit rabies,” Rupprecht says.

Alaska 08/17/13 adn.com: by Nathaniel Herz – The National Guard helicopter flew slowly through mountains north of Fairbanks in a layer of clear air between two blankets of clouds. Its destination: a circle of slowly falling flares, glowing green in the flight crew’s night-vision goggles, marking the campsite of the victim of a bear mauling. The flares, attached to parachutes, had been dropped by an airplane flying ahead of the helicopter in the Brooks Range north of Anaktuvuk Pass. It was part of a mission that led to the dramatic rescue of hunting guide James Tuttle early Friday morning, two days after he was attacked by a brown bear. After returning to Eielson Air Force base outside Fairbanks, Tuttle was taken by ambulance to a local hospital, where the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported he was in stable condition Saturday.

An Air National Guard pilot and medic recounted the mission in interviews Saturday, describing their hair-raising flight to the campsite, their landing in a dense patch of brush and their pickup of Tuttle — who parajumper Chris Bowerfind described as being in good spirits and cracking jokes despite looking like “he’d gone a couple rounds with a UFC fighter.” Details of the hunting trip, and the mauling, were still sketchy, however. Tuttle is listed as a “head guide” on the website of Arctic North Guides, which is owned by Phil Byrd. Byrd, whose business is based in King Salmon, could not be reached for comment Saturday. Bowerfind, who was one of two medics helping pick up Tuttle, said the guide told him he had been attacked by a female brown bear while he was walking alone between his campsite and the carcass of a caribou killed by the hunting party a half-mile away. Tuttle was mauled Wednesday but poor weather kept away rescuers from the North Slope Borough and the Alaska State Troopers, said Maj. Keenan Zerkel, who coordinated the mission for the National Guard. . . Bowerfind said Tuttle told him that the bear that attacked him was familiar and even had been nicknamed by the hunters. “This was a known bear — he said he sees it every camping trip,” Bowerfind said. Tuttle told Bowerfind he was walking to the caribou carcass when the bear attacked him. – For complete article see http://www.adn.com/2013/08/17/3030046/national-guard-pilot-medic-recount.html

Powassan Virus:

New York 08/17/13 dailyfreeman.com: Health officials have confirmed a 17-year-old who collapsed and died in Poughkeepsie had contracted the tick-borne Powassan virus. The disease is fatal in 30 percent of cases and there is no known treatment. There have been 39 deaths in the US since 2008 attributed to Powassan, named after a town in Ontario where it was first observed. Scientists say a person can be infected 15 minutes after a tick attaches, but symptoms do not appear for one to three weeks afterwards. – For complete article see http://www.dailyfreeman.com/articles/2013/08/17/news/doc520f70d66dbd1465488059.txt

Lyme Disease:

National 08/19/13 cdc.gov: Preliminary estimates indicate that the number of Americans diagnosed with Lymedisease each year is around 300,000. The preliminary estimates were presented Sunday night in Boston at the 2013 International Conference on Lyme Borreliosis and Other Tick-Borne Diseases. This early estimate is based on findings from three ongoing CDC studies that use different methods, but all aim to define the approximate number of people diagnosed with Lyme disease annually. Each year, more than 30,000 cases of Lyme disease are reported to CDC, making it the most commonly reported tick-borne illness in the United States. The new estimate suggests that the total number of people diagnosed with Lyme disease is roughly 10 times higher than the yearly reported number. This new estimate supports studies published in the 1990s indicating that the true number of cases is between 3- and 12-fold higher than the number of reported cases. – For complete news release see http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2013/p0819-lyme-disease.html

New Hampshire 08/19/13 NH Dept of Health: State officials have confirmed that mosquitoes trapped in Exeter have tested positive for EEE. This is the first finding of EEE in the state this year. This is in addition to the 6 batches of mosquitoes that have tested positive for WNV so far this season in New Hampshire. – See http://www.dhhs.nh.gov/media/pr/2013/08-aug/08192013eee.htm

New Jersey 08/16/13 state.nj.us: State officials have confirmed the state’s first humancase of WNV in a 55-year-old male from Burlington County. He was hospitalized and now is at home recovering. He was exposed while gardening and conducting other outdoor activities around his home. WNV has been identified among mosquitoes in all New Jersey counties except Cumberland and Salem. – See http://www.state.nj.us/health/news/2013/approved/20130816a.html

Jerry Genesio

Author of "UNSEEN HAZARDS That Threaten Hunters, Campers, and Hikers: What you should know about pathogens commonly found in wildlife."

This is where wildlife and healthcare professionals, hunters, campers, hikers, anglers, and other outdoor enthusiasts will find interesting information about natural unseen hazards that place them at risk. As my book focused exclusively on Rabies, Tetanus (Lockjaw), Tularemia (Rabbit Fever), Brucellosis (Undulant Fever), Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, and Borrelia (Lyme Disease), posts regarding these six diseases will be limited to more recent developments and items of interest that were not included or were not available when the book was published in June of 2009. Topics will also include Chronic Wasting Disease, West Nile Virus, Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome, and other diseases of particular interest to those who work and play in the great American outdoors.

Don’t Be Afraid – Be Aware!

The Natural Unseen Hazards blog is available to all free of charge and is maintained as a public service.

If you have questions related to pathogens commonly found in wildlife, e.g. the disease caused by a specific pathogen, hosts, vectors, symptoms, treatment, territorial range, etc., please comment here or e-mail to jerrygenesio@gmail.com and I will attempt to provide answers.

"Chance favors the prepared mind."
Louis Pasteur

Unless otherwise noted, images have been provided by the CDC Public Health Image Library, Wikimedia Commons, the National Park Service or other government agencies, Bing.com, and/or Google.com.

"Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less."
Marie Curie

"It's better to look ahead and prepare, than to look back and regret."
Jackie Joyner Kersee